Garden Fresh Vegetable Lasagne with chopped veggies, no-bake noodles and fire roasted salsa tomato sauce is a quick cook meal that is always served to rave reviews!
With a mix of whatever vegetables you have on hand and this meal is perfect for busy weeknights!
A versatile update on the original
Like Taco Lasagne this Garden Fresh Vegetable Lasagne has all the layers and texture of classic lasagne recipes. But with the use of salsa instead of tomato sauce and loads of fresh vegetables this easy lightened up version is so delicious whether prepared fresh or prepped ahead of time as a freezer ready meal!
Ingredients
- Vegetables – crimini mushrooms, baby spinach, onions and garlic but can be made with whatever you have. Use zucchini, yellow squash, sweet peppers, eggplant, shredded carrots or whatever seems to be overflowing in your garden, vegetable crisper, local farm stand or farmer’s market. Like Easy Stir Fried Rice this recipe is perfect for preventing food waste and using whatever vegetables you have.
- Fire roasted salsa – or pico de gallo fresh salsa. Have an abundance of tomatoes? Make your own salsa!
- Ground pork sausage – Don’t have any pork sausage? Use what you do have! Ground pork, turkey, beef, bacon or polish sausage are all delicious.
- No bake lasagne noodles – Have a bit more time? Use classic lasagne noodles instead of quick cook oven ready noodles.
- Ricotta cheese – or substitute cottage cheese or bechemel.
- Mozzarella and parmesan cheese– shredded.
- Large egg – as a binder in the filling.
- Olive oil and butter
- Ground cumin and salt and pepper
Step by step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make smoky ricotta filling by stirring ricotta, egg, cumin and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large pan over medium high heat cook pork sausage in olive oil until browned.
- Remove sausage from pan and set aside. Add butter then caramelize the onions and mushrooms in the butter, leftover sausage grease and browned bits.
- Add spinach to wilt in pan. Then add sausage back to pan with most of the parmesan cheese, saving a bit to sprinkle over the top later.
- Divide salsa and mozzarella into roughly three even portions, and everything else (smokey ricotta,meat/vegetable mixture) into two. Starting with one third of the salsa spread layers of salsa, pasta, ricotta, vegetable mix, mozzarella, and sauce again. Repeat, ending with a final layer of pasta, salsa and mozzarella.
- Sprinkle on remaining parmesan cheese and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Then remove foil, increase temperature to 425 degrees F and continue baking, uncovered until browned and bubbly.
- Let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serve with a big green salad, iced tea and garlic bread.
- Enjoy!
Make ahead freezer meal
Can be made assembled ahead and refrigerated, up to 24 hours. Or, assemble and freeze before baking. When ready to cook, remove from freezer and defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Increase cooking time by 30 minutes.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 518kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 16 ounce container ricotta cheese
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms sliced
- 5 ounces baby spinach washed and dried
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese shredded (about 4 cups)
- 9 ounces oven ready lasagna noodles
- 3 cups fire roasted tomato salsa 2 14.7 ounce containers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In medium bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, cumin and salt.
- In a large pan over medium high heat add olive oil and cook sausage until browned. Remove from pan leaving behind any grease and browned bits.
- Add butter to the pan and sauté onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Add baby spinach and cook until wilted. Add meat back to pan and stir in ½ cup parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- In a 12×9 inch casserole dish layer ⅓ of the salsa, then 6 noodles (overlapping to cover the entire bottom), ½ the ricotta mixture, half the pork mixture and half the mozzarella.
- Layer another ⅓ salsa, 6 noodles, remaining ricotta and remaining pork.
- Add the last of the noodles, top with remaining salsa and the remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup parmesan and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake covered 45 minutes.
- Increase temp to 425 degrees, remove cover and cook 15 more minutes until golden and bubbly.
Nutrition
Calories: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 1761mg | Potassium: 734mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2793IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 467mg | Iron: 2mg
Made this recipe? Please share!Mention @freshflavorful or tag #FreshFlavorfulLife
Nutrition Facts
Fresh Garden Vegetable Lasagne
Amount Per Serving
Calories 518
Calories from Fat 369
% Daily Value*
Fat 41g63%
Saturated Fat 18g113%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 124mg41%
Sodium 1761mg77%
Potassium 734mg21%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 28g56%
Vitamin A 2793IU56%
Vitamin C 9mg11%
Calcium 467mg47%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Nicole Elliott ~ Client
This looks superly delicious! 🙂
ONE armed MAMA
Thanks Nicole! It is!! And super fast to throw together.
Cindy
How much mozzarella?
ONE armed MAMA
Hi Cindy! I’ve now updated the recipe to include the 1 pound of mozzarella. Thanks!
Trudi Weiner
How much mozzerell??
ONE armed MAMA
I can’t believe I forgot to include the mozz in the recipe! It’s now updated with 1 pound (about 4 cups) of mozzarella.
Robin Fitzhugh
How much mozzarella?
ONE armed MAMA
How embarrassing! The recipe has now been updated to include the 1 pound of mozzarella. Thanks Robin!
Cee
How much mozzarella?
ONE armed MAMA
Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. I’ve updated the recipe to include the 1 pound of mozzarella (about 4 cups).
Lynn
Where can you buy the fire roasted salsa?
ONE armed MAMA
Hi Lynn! I use Simple Truth Organic brand Fire Roasted Salsa available at any Kroger store. You can also use any store bought or homemade salsa that you have on hand. I love using chunky pico de gallo in this recipe too.